The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-06-22
Correspondence.
The Sunny South.--No. 6.

Schb tldSS VI Jllt DldChS, anu lily ITSU refer
ence will be to Rev j. G. Price of Sails
bury, n. G.. He is a pure negro, if ever
there was one, and one that is rarely
equaled in talent and oratory. / visited his
colored college at Salisbury, saw his build
ings land more in progress) and his lands
where he not only teaches agriculture prac-
tically, but produces most of the necessaries
for his large and growing school. / con-
versed with student from the West Indies.
whose scholarship is paid by Boston man.
| q understand that his whole enterprise
has been brought where it is, and is
maintained, by northern philanthropy and
money! From residents of the old town I
found him credited with doing much good
in educating and Outstanding those under
his care. There are those, however, who saw
he can never get enough religion into a
nigger's" heart to prevent his stealing
chickens. / was told by United States
| Judge who resides in Greensboro, n. c., but
who was holding court at Asheville at the
time, that some of Professor Prices schol-
ars went out to teach and do good to their
race but some of them demurred from do
ing such mental work as teaching Mig
gers" preferring to study law just enough
to get control of the race for their clients
and so sit in their offices and smoke, etc, as
white lawyers do. A class of these gradu-
ates obtain positions on railroads as brake
men and come up by degrees others be-
come porters on Pullman cars many are
table-men in southern hotels. They sell
dom rise 1.-THE position of master, but remain
where they have always been and always
will be-the Servant class" Now note
another set of this "upper class'-such as
carpenters, stone and brick masons, day la
borers for individual or city, coachmen and
the like They are a very ignorant class
as a whole, but have degree of industry
equal to their daily needs and their families
have got themselves homes in the city
and outside, and do some agricultural work
for intelligent farmers. | now come to speak
of the largest portion of the colored race
as we saw and was informed about them
by at least one mantle United States Judge
referred to-whon we believe to be an hon
est Christian man, full of philanthropy and
good works wherever he finds an oppor-
tunity and time. In the days of slavery
this class, then slaves-the old grandpas and
grandmas, and their sons, daughters and
dchldren-constituted the same class
in moral and social degree as we see now:
only the difference of twenty-five years of
freedom with such improvement as ought
to be looked for by the people of the North,
who have contributed so much in money
and labor for their beneft) does not seem TO
me to he realized in scarcely point. Evil
dence is easily obtained showing this class
to be less tidy, more idle and vicious. The
master had money at stake and the
plantation doctor was sent around from
cabin to cabin to look after the sick
and enforce a degree of cleanliness GER
tainly not now observed-and the conse-
quence was much smaller death-rate than
the record now shows. Here | wish to in
troduce a copy of the last report on vital
statistics from the health officers of Savan-
nah, which was copied by northern paper,
where | obtained it: "The last report on
vital statistics made by the health officers
at Savannah shows that while the death
rate among the white population of that
city was but II. 10 per thousand of population
the death-rate among the colored people was
122.94-that is, rather more than ten times as
great" But still another analysis presents
the case in even darker colors, for it is as
serted that the rate of mortality among the
colored children is COL 90 per thousand. In
other words, six colored children out of
every ten, presumably under five years of
age, died during the period included in this
report while the average duration of life
among the negroes of Savannah was, by the
analysis just given, only little over eight
years, and at time when the city was free
from epidemics. This, no doubt, is an excep-
tonal showing but it is evident that the
death rate among the negroes of the South
is terribly large when compared with that
of the white population, and it is intimated
that this condition is each year growing
worse, The cause is traceable, so far as
children are concerned, to absolute neglect
failure to have good medical attendance
for the sick and the food and medicine they
require-while with those of more advanced
years their absolute defiance of all known
rules of health is looked upon as sufficient
to account for the excessive mortality.
| want to mention one case of court prac-
tice which came to my knowledge direct
from the magistrate. The chief of police
brought before him two persons, white
and a colored man, charged with being
found drunk and committing a mutual
assault on each other. Testimony being
sufficient to convict, the magistrate held
them and proceeded to administer justice in
accordance with the law of the state, which
provides for a fine not to exceed 500 or
imprisonment for not over thirty days, or
both, as seemed right with the magistrate
In view of the law, testimony and crcum-
stances he fined the white man to the full
extent-S20 and costs and Imprisonment in
Jail for thirty days. The colored man he
fined $3.50, he to stand committed till the
fine was paid. This was his view of justice
as it regarded these two men, and when
criticised on his findings he said The
white man ought to pay and suffer shame
for being caught drunk and fighting with
niger he is able to pay and the fine
will be no punishment, but thirty days in
Jail may teach him better things. AS for
the Niger, he will find it hard to raise
and pay $3.50, and if sent to Jail it would be
no punishment; besides, the city would
have his family to support" This magistrate
has the entire respect of the people and does
about all of such business. l honor his